Attachment for automobiles



2, 1939. c. w. DE PORTER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1938 INIVVIIEIZ I Aug 22, 1939.

C. W. DE PORTER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed March 9, 1938 v 2 Sheets-Shget 2 & TTORNEY Patented Au 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V amass: 2....3.if12*.?.2.2?2fi2 Application March 9, 1938, Serial No. 194,891 4 Olaims. (CL -45) This invention relates to motor vehicle headlights and more particularly to a headlight pro- .vided with a light filtering device.

object of this invention is to provide an attachment incorporated into the headlight of motor vehicles and other headlights that whenadius'ted' into operative position will filter the light emanating from the source, so as to eliminate'giare or reflection from particles of moisture, sleet, hailand the like, tending to obscure vision when white lights are'used.

An object of this invention is to provide a filter for the light which may be retracted to a position behind the reflector when not in use.

Another object of this invention is to provide Referring to the drawings,Fig. 1 discloses a.

longitudinal cross sectional view.

Fig. 2 discloses a crosssectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

' f Fig. 3?.is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 3' "in Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 1, showing the filter in retracted position.

Fig. 5discloses a modification. Fig. 6 discloses a side 'elevationof the light showing the operating lever.

Fig. I is a front view looking in the direction of the arrow 1 shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the housing taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5; but drawn to a smaller scale.

In a motor vehicle in inclement weather, especially dark nights .when it is foggy, rainy, snowing or sleeting, the light emanating 1mm an ordinary incandescent electric light bulb is reflected by the particles of precipitation in the air, causin a glare obscuring or shielding vision, so that the light really obscures vision rather than improves it. v

' It has been found that by filtering the-light through an amber lens,; or any other suitably colored lens; there-is no glare to speak of caused by such filtered light striking the particles oi 5 precipitation. Thus, by filtering the light, driving in the dark during inclement weather is made much easier than without filtered light.

In the drawings, the reference character In indicates the outer shell or casing of a headlight provided with a reflector l2, an electric bulb l4 5 and a conventional lens It. With the exception of the reflector, these parts are conventional. The reflector is provided with a pair of horizontal slots joined at the top with an arched slot 22. These slots provide a passage for a light filter 30, having a contour forming a segment of a sphere.

"I'his filter is preferably made from colored glass, as for example, a piece of amber glass. It may be seated in a suitable metallic frame 32, extending around the entire periphery. The filtering lens 30 is mounted upon a pair of sector members 34, fixedly attached to studs 36 and 38. These studs are Journaled in bearing 40 and 42 in casing members 44 and 46, attached to the 80 rear of the reflector but within the casing l0.

As many be seen from Figures 1 and 4, casing members 44 and 46 provide a. housing for the filter 30 when it is in the retracted position shown in Figure 4. Brushes" and 50 mounted in the path of the filter lens 30 wipe dirt and, foreign particles from the filter lens as it is actuated from one position to the other, thereby tending to ..keep the filter lens clean.

The stub shaft 38 projects through the casing 30 Ill and terminates in a suitable lever 54 seated in one of the two notches 5G and 58, shown in Figure 6. As the lever is actuated from the full line position in Figure 6 to the dotted line position, the filter lens 30 is actuated from the 35' position disclosed in Figure 4 to that disclosed in Figure 5. Y

The stub shaft 38 in some installations terminates within the casing Ill and" is then provided with a suitable crank actuated by a suitable driving mechanism such as a Bowden wire'terminating on theinstrument board. Thus, the driver may shift the filter from one position to the other without stopping the vehicle. In other installations the stub shaft terminates under the hood of the vehicle, so as to enclose and conceal the lever 54. When the lever 54 is located on the outside of the headlight casing In, it is preferably placed between the headlight and the hood of .the vehicle.

the lens 30 is contoured to snugly fit the base of the reflector i2, so as to completely filter all of the light. Although the sector members 34 have been shown as made of metal, these may also be made of colored glass, so as to permit the light to pass through these sectors so as to hit the sides of the reflector I2. Whether the sectors 34 are made of metal or of colored glass, all of the light emanating from the light bulb I4 is filtered when 4 the filtering lens 30 is in the position disclosed in Figures 1 and 3. In the past, a portion of the light has been dimmed by shields extending over part of the bulb, similar to that disclosed in the patent to Shafi'er No. 1,123,939 patented January 5, 1915; but in this structure, some of the light has been completely shut off and the remainder of the light escapes in its entirety, without being filtered. In the present modification all of the light is filtered, none of the light escaping without being filtered.

In clear weather the filter lens 30 is retracted into the housings 44 and 46 located to the rear of the reflector. When the filtering lens is in this position the white light as it emanates from the incandescent lamp I4 is utilized without filtering.

In the modification disclosed in Figures 5, '7 and 8, instead of utilizing a shield or a filtering lens 30, the same result has been obtained by interchanging bulbs or incandescent lamps. This mechanism includes a member I00 provided with a pair of sockets I02 and I04. The socket I02 supports an ordinary incandescent electric bulb I06, having one terminal I08 grounded to member I00 and the other terminal IIO connected to a metallic contact stripI I2 energized from a wire II 4 provided with a terminal II6 contacting a brush I I8 connected to the lead I20 completing the circuit to the source of energy which may be either the battery or the generator. With the bulb, I00 there is associated a reflector segment I30 snugly fitting a suitable slot in the end of the reflector I32 mounted in the casing I34 provided with a lens I35. The support I00 is fixedly mounted upon the shaft I40 connected to the external lever 54. The support I00 is also provided with a bulb I44 which will filter the light generated by this bulb when it is energized. By actuating the lever 54 from the full line position shown in Figure 6 to the dot-dash position shown in the same figure, the bulb I06 is rotated from the full line position to the dot-dash position shown in Figure 1 and the bulb I44, together with the reflector segment I46, is positioned in the place of the bulb I06 shown in full line in Figure 1. When the bulb I44 having sufiicient candle power either for full light or dim light, is rotated into registry with the reflector I32, an amber light is supplied. The bulb I44 is then energized through a metallic clip I50 connected to the lead I56 provided with a contact terminal I58, which has now been rotated through an angle approaching 90, so that the contact I58 is brought into registry with the brush II8, so as to energize the lamp I44. The lamp I44, when out of operative position, is encased within the housing I10. When the bulb I06 is rotated into the dot-dash position it is encased within the housing member I12, diametrically disposed with respect to the housing member I10. When the assembly is in this position the bulb I06 is deenergized.

Housing members I10 and I12 cooperate with the spacer wall I14 and the side walls I15 and I10 to form a dust-proof enclosure to the rear of the reflector I32; but within the housing or casing I34 to protect the part of the lighting system when not in use. The shaft I40 is journalled m the walls ns and nix. Thus, the filtering bulb I44, preferably amber in color, may be rotated with the shaft I40 from the position within the casing to the rear of the reflector into operative and filtering position. When in this .position the amber bulb I44 is centrally disposed with respect to the reflector I32 much the same as the filtering lens 30 when it is in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Single contact wiring has been shown. For modern electric bulbs for motor vehicles double contacts would be used, one for the bright light filament and another for the dim light filament. The parts, of the electric circuit may then be duplicated, making the changes necessary to accommodate the double filament bulbs.

Although the preferred modification of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, in the novel parts, combination of parts and mode of operation, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a headlight assembly for motor vehicles and the like the combination including a reflector simulating a parabolic reflector, said reflector having a slot having an arcuate portion terminating in a pair of portions lying in parallel planes, a casing housing the reflector and form-' ing a cavity to the rear of the reflector, a shell mounted to the rear of the reflector and regist'ering with the opening therein, said shell being mounted between the reflector and the casing, a

shaft pivotally mounted in the shell, electric means centrally disposed with respect to the reflectorfor generating light, movably mounted means for filtering the light, supporting means including a pair of arcuate sectors fixedly attached to the shaft for supporting said filtering means, said arcuate sectors supporting the filtering means inthe shell when not in use, and means for rotating said filtering means through the arcuate portion of the slot from the position within the shell to a position centrally disposed with respect to the reflector and within the reflector so as to filter all the light generated by said electric means, the arcuate sectors rotating through said pair of slot portions when the flltering means is adjusted from one position to the other.

2. In a headlight assembly for motor vehicles and the like-the combination including a reflector having an arcuate slot terminating in a pair of slot portions lying in parallel planes, a casing housing the reflector and forming a cavity to the rear of the reflector, a shell mounted to the rear of the reflector and registering with the opening therein, said shell being mounted between the reflector and the casing, a shaft adjustably mounted in the shell, electric means centrally'disposed with respect to the reflector for generating a light, and filtering means housed within the shell when not in use, said filtering means including a pair of supporting sectors fixedly attached to the shaft for adjustment therewith, said filtering-means being movable from the shell through the arcuate slot portion into a position centrally disposed with respect to the reflector and located in the reflector, and

filtering means passing through the arcuate porthat'the light emitted from the headlight may" be optionally filtered.

3. In a headlight assembly for motor vehicles and the like the combination including a reflector having a slot including anarcuate portion terminating in a pair of side portions disposed in parallel planes, a casing housing the reflector and forming a cavity to the rear of the reflector, a shell mounted to the rear of the reflector and registering with the slot therein, said shell having a pair oi concentrically disposed spherical sectors each of which terminates in straight parallel segments cooperating to form a cavity, a

source of illumination concentrically disposed with respect to the reflector, filtering means ad- Justably mounted into operative and inoperative pomtions disposed between the spherical sectors when in operative position and extending over the light so as to completely filter all of the light emanating from the illuminating source when in operative position, and a pair of sectors for supporting said filtering means, said pair of sectors being adiustably mounted so as to support the filtering means in operative position when in use and to support the filtering means within the shell to the rear of the reflector when the filtering means is in inoperative position, said tion of the slot when advancing from one position to the other, said supporting sectors passing through the side portions of the slot when advancing the filtering means from one position to the other.

4. In a headlight assembly for motor vehicles and the like the combination including a reflector having an arcuate slot terminating in a pairof slot portions lying in parallel planes, a casing housing the reflector and forming a cavity to'the rear of the reflector, a shell mounted to the rear 01 the reflector and registering with the opening therein, said shell being mounted between the reflector and the casing, electric means centrally disposed with respect to the reflector for generating light, and filtering means adjustably mounted, said filtering means including a lens normally disposed in the shell when not in use but adjustably mounted for movement through the arcuate portion of the slot so as to overlie said electric means to filter all of the light emanating from the same, said filtering means contacting the reflector on the side, opposite the arcuate portion or the slot when in filtering pomtion.

- CHAS. w. DE PORTER. 

